Saturn or Dreamcast??? (halp)

[Drewskiwannabrewski]

So i'm trying to re-collect some games/systems I once owned that were destroyed in a basement fire and i'm torn between buying a Dreamcast (which I have owned and loved) or a Saturn (which I hadn't owned but still love).

Price-wise there isn't a drastic difference, so what this boils down to is the quality of the games (I generally like rpg's, fighting games, and obscure oddities).

What I want to know is, which do YOU, esteemed ambassadors of internet retro gaming forums, think I should pick and why?

[Gamingking]

So i'm trying to re-collect some games/systems I once owned that were destroyed in a basement fire and i'm torn between buying a Dreamcast (which I have owned and loved) or a Saturn (which I hadn't owned but still love).

Price-wise there isn't a drastic difference, so what this boils down to is the quality of the games (I generally like rpg's, fighting games, and obscure oddities).

What I want to know is, which do YOU, esteemed ambassadors of internet retro gaming forums, think I should pick and why?

I would personally choose Saturn, Dreamcast just had too many sports games, But did have some good games. But if your looking for better games, I would choose Saturn.

[Voliko]

I would choose the Saturn, a reason being because I love the "Shining" series. I keep in mind that there are not Shining games on Dreamcast = (. Saturn has some good rpgs, like Albert Odyssey, Shining Force III (Although only the first "Scenario" was released stateside.) , Shining in the Holy Ark, Dragon Force, Magic Knight Rayearth, and the expensive Panzer Dragoon Saga.

I do think the Dreamcast gets a little too much love....

It is really a matter of personal taste, but I say if you have a choice between a console that you've had and one you've never had, go for the new experience.

[Drewskiwannabrewski]

I would choose the Saturn, solely because I love the "Shining" series. I keep in mind that there are not Shining games on Dreamcast = (. Saturn has some good rpgs, like Albert Odyssey, Shining Force III (Although only the first "Scenario" was released stateside.) , Shining in the Holy Ark, Dragon Force, Magic Knight Rayearth, and the expensive Panzer Dragoon Saga.

It is really a matter of personal taste, but I say if you have a choice between a console that you've had and one you've never had, go for the new experience.

you sir make a good point. I think the game that is making me torn is powerstone, which i'll take over smash bros. any day. also, you're from toledo? weird, i'm from bowling green.

[BetaWolf47]

You said you wanted to own something which you used to own back in the day. Wouldn't buying something for a "new experience" be contradicting that? Well, judging by your other criteria, I'd go with the Saturn. It does have better RPGs and about an equal quality and quantity of fighting games.

[Voliko]

you sir make a good point. I think the game that is making me torn is powerstone, which i'll take over smash bros. any day. also, you're from toledo? weird, i'm from bowling green.

I live in Sylvania now, but it's nice to see another person from the area.

Sounds like a tough decision to make, and I can't think of any more advice in your situation....

[BHvrd]

While i'll admit that I had more fun with the Dreamcast in its (prime), definetely the Saturn.

Dreamcast was a bit time sensitive with alot of the online features (which are now non-existent) driving it. Sure it still has great games like 4-player Powerstone, Hydro Thunder (awesome port), Sonic Adventure 1&2 (availiable on other platforms but vmu chao play still cool), Jet Grind Radio, Space Channel 5, Shenmue and others "worth" playing. Games like Phantasy Star Online, Quake 3, Alien Front Online, 4x4 Evolution, Daytone USA, Chu Chu Rocket, NFL2K1 and other "online" games though were what really made it shine (which are no longer online).

Dreamcast was more a "best experienced at the time" where Saturn is just possible the best damn collectible system ever. I pull out the Saturn at times JUST to play Virtua Cop as it's still the best damn port ever and it's like having an arcade in your living room (so authentic) and I LOVE the Saturn lightgun! Voliko pointed out but a FRACTION of the awesome titles, but those ones he listed in themselves are worth owning for just a single one of them.

So many genre defining and groundbreaking titles on the Saturn. Get the Saturn!

[buzz_n64]

Saturn or Dreamcast??? (halp)

Go with Saturn, it had a longer lifespan, and more variety. Play a Saturn, but don't ride in a Saturn, or visit Saturn.

[Gentlegamer]

Dreamcast, no question!

[The 1 2 P]

You can't make a wrong choice because they both are worthwhile gaming experiences. However, if you go with the Saturn you are going to want to get into it's import games. There were many hundreds of import games for the Satun in Japan that never got released here and some of them are freaking amazing(Radiant Silvergun, Castlevania: SOTN Remix, Salamander Deluxe, etc). Import convertors are relatively cheap so playing the actual games on a US system won't be a problem either.

The Dreamcast is still an awesome system and it too has some great import only games(if you are a wrestling fan you have to pick up the import wrestling titles). But if you are mainly thinking about US games than perhaps you should stick with the Dreamcast because it's US library of games is much better than the Saturn US library. But once you throw in the imports, it's a whole different story.

My advice? Buy both, as neither will set you back that much. For $100 a piece you can get the system and a nice stack of 10-30 games.

[Baloo]

I'd go with the Saturn. There's a lot of titles that weren't re-released that were on Saturn (Sega Rally, Panzer Dragoon trilogy, NiGHTS, Shining Force III, Burning Rangers, Shining the Holy Ark, Guardian Heroes, all those Working Designs games etc. etc.), whereas the Dreamcast had a lot of it's exclusive stuff ported over to Gamecube, Xbox, and PS2 in later years. Saturn has some better-quality titles as well IMO.

And let's not forget Saturn's arcade-perfect 2D fighters, which weren't really re-released either, save for shitty PSX versions. Some of the flagship Dreamcast fighters were re-released. While Power Stone is a fantastic game on Dreamcast, I don't think it matches up with the playability of X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, and the better-than-arcade perfect Street Fighter Alpha 3.

Go with the Saturn.

[megasdkirby]

You can't make a wrong choice because they both are worthwhile gaming experiences. However, if you go with the Saturn you are going to want to get into it's import games.

QFT.

Import wise, it's an excellent console. Fighting games, specially those that require the 4MB cart like "XMen vs. Street Fighter" are simply fantastic.

There are some great US games, but it's best to go for imports.

Dreamcast is wicked awesome with some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had (Shenmue being the most noticeable).

[Damaramu]

I love, LOVE the Saturn, mainly for it's imports. That's what you want to focus on with this system. Don't get me wrong, the Saturn had great US releases...but a lot of great games were foolishly left behind in Japan. Man, what could've been...

[Drewskiwannabrewski]

I guess my only concern with the saturn is that I really want to play the imported games, but considering how much they cost (guardian heroes and radiant silvergun especially) I dunno if want to buy an import converter in addition. How effective is the swapping technique with a model 1?

[Breetai]

The Dreamcast is still an awesome system and it too has some great import only games(if you are a wrestling fan you have to pick up the import wrestling titles).
I'm a wrestling fan and don't find any of the DC wrestling games that great. Then again, I'm not a big Fire Pro fan. I found Giant Gram and T.R.4 to be... meh.

As for the Saturn vs. DC, I have 22 DC titles and 100(yup) on the Saturn. I think that says a lot. BTW, Guardian Heroes isn't too expensive if you get the Japanese version. Definitely either get a Japanese console or a 4-in-1 cart.

[Jim-]

I guess my only concern with the saturn is that I really want to play the imported games, but considering how much they cost (guardian heroes and radiant silvergun especially) I dunno if want to buy an import converter in addition. How effective is the swapping technique with a model 1?
It's easier to swap on a model 1, but it's still not great for the motor. An Action Replay cart is like 20bux. A worthy investment, seeing how it also acts as a ram cart and backs up data in addition to allowing you to play junk from every region.

[megasdkirby]

An Action Replay cart is like 20bux. A worthy investment, seeing how it also acts as a ram cart and backs up data in addition to allowing you to play junk from every region.

If referring to the EMS 4M+, then it has the necessary RAM for import games that require it (like the Vs. series). However, it will not save files directly to cart, as you need to go to the memory manager settings on the cart itself in order to transfer files to save.

Still well worth it, though.

[gameofyou]

also, you're from toledo? weird, i'm from bowling green.

Holy smoke, I'm in Toledo, also :) What are the odds?

I actually prefer the Saturn, but both systems are solid. I have to believe that the Dreamcast games would be cheaper, though.

[SegaAges]

I remember busting out the imports on Saturn before I got the nice 4 in 1 (I can't find it now, so I have to do it the old way). That was where you would put in the action replay, get the game going, swap for the import, then immediately swap the action replay for the ram cart.

It did help that I spliced the wire so that it always thought the drive door was shut.

[retroman]

Hey..I have had both since the day each one came out. I would say Dreamcast. I just had more fun with it, and (unless u like rpgs) the games were a lot better.

[gumbyandpals]

Wow, lots of love for the Saturn :)

Basically, if you've got money to spend, go for a Saturn. There are a lot of good games, but they also tend to be the more expensive games.

Dreamcast systems, accessories and games are relatively inexpensive. Dreamcast has some great games and you can really get some "bang for your buck"

Also, if the homebrew scene interests you, Dreamcast can't be beat.

[Baloo]

I'm a wrestling fan and don't find any of the DC wrestling games that great. Then again, I'm not a big Fire Pro fan. I found Giant Gram and T.R.4 to be... meh.

As for the Saturn vs. DC, I have 22 DC titles and 100(yup) on the Saturn. I think that says a lot. BTW, Guardian Heroes isn't too expensive if you get the Japanese version. Definitely either get a Japanese console or a 4-in-1 cart.

Have you played All-Star Pro Wrestling Featuring Virtua? That's definitely the best wrestling game on Saturn, and a very solid title in general.

And yeah, as some have mentioned you really need to get the Action Replay 4 in 1 (that's a Saturn necessity) and some of the games are expensive. But even though there are expensive games, some of the games are worth the asking price, namely Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Shining Force III and Dragon Force.

[ssjlance]

Personally, I vote Dreamcast. The better of the two in my opinion. You should get a Saturn, totally, but DC is better to collect for in my opinion. The Saturn's best games, minus a few exceptions, are all too expensive for my tastes. The Dreamcast's games are for the most part plentiful and cheap, and if one is just ridiculously rare and expensive that you're dying to play, you can burn the disc. Not to mention the homebrew and emulators available for the console.

For the record, my stance is that piracy is bad. Unless the console is dead, as is the case with the Dreamcast or anything it'd be capable of emulating. Just my two cents.

[Breetai]

Have you played All-Star Pro Wrestling Featuring Virtua? That's definitely the best wrestling game on Saturn, and a very solid title in general.Well.... I was referring to the DC wrestling games. And yup... I have played that (assuming you mean "All Japan" and not "All-Star". It's a very decent game, and IMO (and I guess yours, too) better than any of the Saturn wrestlers. Nothing like a little Misawa vs. Baba to make my day. In fact, I've got a few extra copies for sale with my Japanese Saturn lots. Interested? :p

To be honest, the best wrestlers are on the N64 with some of the Smackdown games (or T.R. games on the PS1) coming in a somewhat close second. I'm just not a big Fire Pro fan.

Hmmmm... Maybe I should give Giant Gram on the DC another chance. I really don't know what it was about the DC wrestlers that didn't click with me. The T.R. games on the PS1 were good. All Japan on the Saturn was good. Yeah... maybe the DC wrestlers deserve another chance.

[WoodyXP]

Get both systems. It's the only way to go.

[Baloo]

Well.... I was referring to the DC wrestling games. And yup... I have played that (assuming you mean "All Japan" and not "All-Star". It's a very decent game, and IMO (and I guess yours, too) better than any of the Saturn wrestlers. Nothing like a little Misawa vs. Baba to make my day. In fact, I've got a few extra copies for sale with my Japanese Saturn lots. Interested? :p


Actually, yes. How much for a single copy?

[The 1 2 P]

I'm a wrestling fan and don't find any of the DC wrestling games that great. Then again, I'm not a big Fire Pro fan. I found Giant Gram and T.R.4 to be... meh.

If you were a wrestling fan and had a Dreamcast, the only way to play good wrestling games was to import Fire Pro Wrestling D, Giant Gram and Touken Retsuden 4. Had you been stuck with only the US released games, you would only get to play bad ports of already bad Akklaim games(WWF Attitude, ECW: Hardcore Revolution, etc) and Royal Rumble(not a bad game but certainly not on the level of any of the import games).

You are the first person I know of who hates all of the DC import wrestling titles. Thats no biggie but you might be singing a different tune if you were stuck playing what we were forced to play over here in the US at that time. And that is yet another reason why the DC is such a great importing system, as is the Saturn.

[gameofyou]

Oh, & I forgot to add: I have 6 volumes of Sega Saturn videos on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/gameofyou1). Most of the good games for the system are represented, and have short 30 second clips of gameplay. It might help you figure out if you will find the Saturn games interesting.

[Kiddo]

If the price ranges between the Dreamcast and Saturn are that close, get the Saturn - you can probably find a Dreamcast cheaper elsewhere. I got one for a fiver at a Flea Market a year ago.
Then you could have -both- systems.

[Icarus Moonsight]

They're both great systems. Doesn't matter which one you get first, as long as you get them both eventually. DC is easier to get locally and an inexpensive good game library started... Would make a sensible start. Time to start hunting. :D